November 14, 2011

That's right. I refuse to believe that the time for juicy, tasty strawberries is over. Even though I can see with my own two eyes the boxes containing 20% molding and festering berries, 15% yellowed and nowhere near deep-red berries, and 45% flavorless berries, I'll deny that it's not worth a couple of bucks for that last 20%.

Those 5 berries are great.
There will come a time, though, when there are no berries at all to be had. At that point, I'll express my gratitude for the strawberry jam and strawberry pie filling that's sitting atop my shelves right now. I like apples and pears and other autumn and winter fruits (as evidenced here), but they just don't hold the same appeal as strawberries.

As far as I'm concerned, this is another super-successful cupcake creation. The cupcakes themselves are soft and flavorful--you've done it again, Martha! The sweet, oozing pie filling is a happy surprise and the subtle strawberry taste in the frosting is just right to finish. These aren't the neatest of all cupcakes, that's for sure--you might want to don a bib, or at the very least, be prepared to have strawberry goo running down your chin.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk flours, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and white, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
Reduce speed to low. Combine milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Fold in chopped strawberries. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
To make the frosting, with an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed; after every two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium-high. This process should take about 5 minutes. Frosting will be very pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and jam, and beat until frosting is smooth.
To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole (and immediately eat the cone)(after adding frosting to it, of course) and carefully spoon the pie filling inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes and devour.

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comments:

We love strawberries all year and my youngest always asks for strawberry cake for her birthday. These would be a huge surprise for her! Any time you put things in the center of a cupcake you have happy cupcake eaters. I like that about this recipe...vs. the cupcakes right in the batter. A great way to enjoy the flavors off season! These could be pretty for Christmas with the colors, too.

And why is it that the top layer of strawberries always looks impeccable? It's only after you've paid for them and whisked them home that the festering ones show up. Arrrgh. But I do think these looks wonderful, and out of season berries are pretty darned good when you cook them a little.

Remember, it's always strawberry season somewhere! (It will be strawberry season in Florida really soon!) Those do look amazing, and Martha really does have some tricks up her sleeve :-) I'll be trying these with my own little strawberry fan when they're in season here (haven't had a strawberry since she came along...)

You are on a cupcake run, Grace! One great recipe after another. We can get fresh strawberries in Florida year round, although I always have some in the freezer to make a smoothie. Never have used them in a cupcake.....looks delish!

Imagine all those strawberries, living in harmony....in your belly ;) Ok, maybe songwriting is not my strong suit, but cupcake baking is certainly yours. They look amazing Grace! And since it's strawberry season here, I'm definitely going to give it a go. (And eat a lot of cupcake cones int he process, with frosting).

I have a hard time giving up strawberries as well. I always pick pounds and pounds when they're in season and it never matters. 5 pounds or 20 pounds, they're always gone with in days of picking. Just another 5 or 6 months until they're back in season, right?

I just think it's amazing that you can get strawberries at just about any time of the year in the grocery store! :) These cupcakes look really good- strawberry cupcakes are my grandson's favorite, and he'll soon be here for me to spoil!

I think, generally, filled cupcakes are a little bit messy when you bite into them. But that's all part of the fun! These look gorgeous and the use of strawberry (even though it can be difficult to find nice sweet ones, you're right) is a lovely touch.

It is a sad day, indeed, when strawberries are gone for the year. But if they were available year round, then we wouldn't have that giddy feeling of discovery the first day in spring when we find a box of strawberries in the store!

I happily eat my frozen strawberries all year long. Its not like eating a fresh strawberry that is for sure but I can be reminded of strawberries when I eat them. And like the commenter above me it is oh so super exciting waiting for the first strawberries of the year.

I love your surprise cup cakes- one of these days I am going to make some!